Primary Investigator: 

Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN – Principle Investigator

Dr. Perez is a researcher and professor at the University of Pennsylvania whose work focuses on the needs of the Latino community. As a professor, she has developed social justice sessions for nursing students aimed at addressing structural racism and advancing health equity, and teaches a graduate course on leadership in health care. She is energized by Penn Nursing students and enjoys teaching, mentoring, and learning from them. Her research is focused on the influence of various factors on physical activity, cardiovascular health, cognitive health, and sleep among Spanish-speaking older Latinos with mild cognitive impairment. She is a Scientist at the Center for Improving Care Delivery for the Aging (CICADA), a faculty member of the NewCourtland Center for Transitions of Health, and a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Dr. Perez is the head investigator of Tiempo Juntos por Nuestra Salud, a project she developed to improve health among the older Latino population of Philadelphia.

Investigators:

David Xavier Marquez, PhD – Co-Investigator

Dr. Marquez is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He specializes in exercise psychology and behavioral medicine and is especially interested in the effects of physical activity on the health of older Latino adults. At UIC, he directs the Exercise Psychology Laboratory which studies and aims to reduce health inequalities between groups, such as people of color and older adults. Dr. Marquez is a fellow at the American College of Sports Medicine, the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the National Academy of Kinesiology, and the Gerontological Society of America.

Subhash Aryal, PhD – Co-Investigator

Dr. Aryal is currently the Director and an Associate Professor of BECCA (Biostatistics Evaluation Collaboration Consultation Analysis) Lab. He also serves as the Director of Biostatistics in the Osteopathic Research Center, and is a Senior Fellow for SaferCare Texas, which are both at the UNT Health Science Center. He had earned a B.A. from Tribhuvan University, a B.S. in the University of South Alabama, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research experience spans epidemiology, community health, behaviors, environmental health, and occupational health, where he specializes in statistical theoretical and interdisciplinary research. He currently provides data-driven support to an array of medical professionals, health scientists, and researchers involved in various health issues.

Norma B. Coe, PhD – Co-Investigator

Dr. Coe currently is an Associate Professor of Medical Ethics & Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Coe also serves as Director of the Policy and Economics of Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care (PEDAL), as well as Co-Director of the Population Aging Research Center (PARC). She has earned her B.A. in Economics from the College of William and Mary, and her Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research primarily focuses on identifying causal policy effects which impact human health, human behavior, and health care access, particularly in terms of costs, insurance, and delivery. Her emphasized research population lies with people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD).

Nancy A. Hodgson, Ph.D., RN., FAAN – Co-Investigator

Dr. Hodgson currently serves as the Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology and a Professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at the University of Pennsylvania. She had previously earned her B.S.N. from Widener University, as well as both an MSN and Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hodgson is also the co-founder of the Palliative Care Program at the Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Center, a nursing home-based palliative care program which trains nursing staff across Pennsylvania in aiding residents to living as independently as possible with a good quality of life. Her research experience mainly focuses on person-centered and family-centered intervention programs for people living with dementia. Dr. Hodgson also holds the titles of Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America.

Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN – Co-Investigator

Dr. Villarruel is the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Director of the School’s WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. Dr. Villarruel earned an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania, and her PhD in nursing from Wayne State University. As a bilingual and bicultural researcher, Dr. Villarruel has extensive research and practice experience with Latino populations, health promotion, and disparities. She currently co-leads the NIH funded Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance to address COVID-19 Inequities (CEAL) a coalition to optimize the rollout and real-time evaluation of interventions focused on COVID-19 disparities across diverse populations within the Philadelphia region.

Nalaka Gooneratne, M.D., M.Sc. – Co-Investigator

Dr. Gooneratne is an associate professor of medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. His research interests include aging, sleep, and patient-oriented research. Currently, Dr. Gooneratne is investigating sleep disorders in elderly people and the role of the hormone melatonin on sleep. He also runs a Sleep Disorders Clinic for Seniors to address difficulties that older adults face with sleep. In addition, Dr. Gooneratne is the associate director of the Masters in Translational Research Program at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the mHealth mobile app development service.

 

 

James F. Sallis, Ph.D. – Consultant

James F. Sallis is currently the Distinguished Professor of Emeritus at the Herbert Werthweim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California, San Diego. He also currently holds the title of Professorial Fellow at the Australian Catholic University in Melboune for the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, and is the Director of Active Living Research, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program. He previously earned his B.S. in Belhaven College, followed by an MS. and Ph.D. from Memphis State University in Psychology. His research is dedicated promoting health through physical activity, by investigating the relation to built environments and policies, in order to foster communities which facilitate physical activity.

Joseph Rhodes – Biostatistician 

Joseph Rhodes is a data scientist and a research and electronic data capture (REDCap) administrator at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing for the past 5 years. He manages roughly 800 active users and 1000 active projects both funded and unfunded. His responsibilities for the Tiempo Juntos research study include providing consulting and guidance on building and maintaining the database and providing technical support for REDCap. Joseph appreciates the opportunity to provide support and work with its incredible team.

Liming Huang – Biostatistician 

Liming Huang is a statistician in biostatistics at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She has been providing statistical support for the School of Nursing research community since 2015. She works with research data and builds and maintains the database for Tiempo Juntos.

 

 

 

Research Coordinator :

Maria Camila Loaiza – Research Coordinator 

Camila or “Cami” is a native of Colombia. She was born in the city of Bogotá, but from a very young age she settled with her family in Cali-the capital of salsa dancing. In 2002, she traveled to the United States arriving in Philadelphia where she currently lives. Therefore, Camila is bilingual with an excellent command of both English and Spanish. At the end of her high school days, she decided to return to her native country to go to college. Camila attended the Pontifical University Javeriana Cali, where she graduated in Biology and received honors for her thesis, in which a computational model for cell simulation was created implementing the CellDesigner and Pathway Studio program. This with the objective of evaluating the effect of quercetin derived from sugarcane on the regulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis. Before beginning her thesis, she also had the great opportunity to do her internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for 6 months in the laboratory of Dr. Yair Argon. His lab mainly focuses on investigating the response to unfolded proteins (UPR), which occurs when cells go into stress. Both her thesis and her internship were chosen by her with the motive of putting “a grain of sand” in scientific research that in general aims to help improve the quality of life of people. From her experiences, she has always stood out for being responsible, very passionate about what she does and for wanting to learn more. In her free time she enjoys doing crafts, trying different things in the kitchen, walking, dancing and exploring new places in the company of her family.

Mariana Pérez – Research Coordinator

Mariana is originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico. She recently graduated from the Community College of Philadelphia with an associate’s degree in interior design. During the last 3 years, she has taken part in work related to community service and for a few months she’s have been serving the elderly community. Mariana is very excited to be a part of this project and see the benefits it can bring to the residents.

 

 

Research Assistants:

Ashley Duchi – Research Assistant 

Ashley Duchi is a Health and Societies major on a pre-medical track at the University of Pennsylvania. She strives to understand intersections between race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender, socioeconomic position, and health in order to better inform her career. Beyond her work with Dr. Perez on Tiempo Juntos, she is also working with Blanca Himes, PhD, ATSF, to conduct exploratory and regression analyses to identify relationships between risk factors with asthma health outcomes in Philadelphia. Ashley is involved with various community organizations in Philadelphia, such as the Community Engagement Program where she is responsible for coordinating over 30 volunteer placements throughout West Philadelphia. She also volunteers for Puentes de Salud, assisting COVID-19 vaccine efforts in Spanish-speaking Philadelphia communities and tutoring Spanish-speaking students.

Paola Rosa – Research Assistant

Paola Rosa is a 3rd year at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Neuroscience and minoring in Creative Writing. She is from Riverside, California but originally from the Los Angeles Area and comes from a Guatemalan and Salvadoran background. She is very excited to be a part of this study and explore the ways the team can improve cognitive health in elder Latinos. She is looking forward to fostering community with her fellow peers and patients in the Philadelphia area along with learning the mechanisms behind administering cognitive tests and handling data.

Ysabella Perez– Research Assistant 

Ysabella is a sophomore pre-med majoring in medical sociology and neurobiology with a minor in chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. She was born in Hackensack, NJ and raised in Pennsylvania (The Poconos) but is of Mexican and Chilean origin. She is especially interested in focusing on studying the biological source of minority stress on social behaviors. After medical school, she is interested in pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery. She is excited to be with Tiempo Juntos and to immerse herself in the vast Latin cultures that dominate Philadelphia during her time with the program. She is also grateful to be able to learn from the Hispanic community in Philadelphia as well as learning how she can help.

Ariana Borda – Research Assistant 

Ariana Borda is majoring in Health and Societies and minoring in Chemistry and Latino Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She is Peruvian and was raised in Miami, FL. She is passionate about learning how to address health disparities among underserved populations, especially through community and public health interventions. She plans to attend medical school and obtain her Master’s in Public Health. Beyond her academics, she enjoys volunteering and engaging with the Philadelphia community through Service Link and Puentes de Salud. She is additionally a board member of Penn for Immigrant Rights and Quechua at Penn. She is excited to be with Tiempo Juntos and to immerse herself in the Latino community in Philadelphia.

 

Luz Bravo – Research Assistant

Luz Bravo has long been passionate about the care of older adults. She was born and grew up in Mexico, where she completed her Clinical Chemistry studies. Her passion for caring for older adults is deeply ingrained in her identity and Mexican cultural values, where respect and attention for older adults are important. After completing her studies, she embarked on a mission to apply her knowledge and abilities to the care of her community. Her experience in the care of older adults has taught her the importance of empathy, patience, and compassion in this profession.

 

 

Zoe Vaz – Research Assistant 

Zoe is a student at the University of Pennsylvania in her third year. She studies public health and nutrition. She is interested in health systems, inequality, and food equity. She plans to go to graduate school after she graduates to continue her studies in public health. She hopes to work in the intersection between nutrition and public health in the future. She is excited to be joining the Tiempo Juntos team to learn more about clinical research and be more involved in the Philadelphia community.

 

 

Abraham Mediana – Research Assistant 

Abraham is a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania planning on majoring in neuroscience with a minor in healthcare management on the pre-med path. He is Mexican and was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He is interested in the complex relationship between the mind and the human body and hopes to learn more about how people can improve their overall health through preventative medicine.

 

Natalia Pagán 

Natalia is a 2nd year student majoring in Economics at New York University. She grew up in New York City to Mexican and Puerto-Rican parents and is a native Spanish speaker. Through her research, she is interested in addressing health disparities within Hispanic populations. She is excited to work with the Hispanic community in North Philadelphia and learn more about the effectiveness of physical intervention methods on cognitive and cardiovascular health.

 

 

Samuel Bartolone 

Sam Bartolone is an incoming senior at Swarthmore College majoring in Chemistry and Economics. He grew up in the Chicagoland suburbs with a mother who immigrated from El Salvador. He is passionate about tackling healthcare disparities within marginalized Spanish communities and hopes to continue this work after graduation. In his free time, Sam enjoys exercising, spending time outdoors and improving his Spanish speaking. He is excited to learn about how physical intervention methods can improve cognitive health.

Sayeem Hossain

Sayeem is a rising junior at Binghamton University majoring in Global Public Health and Economics on the pre-med track. He was born in Arizona but grew up in Queens in New York City. He is interested in tackling healthcare disparities, management of health systems, and utilizing innovative methods to improve healthcare access and delivery. He has previous experience working and volunteering with older adult populations through community health efforts. He has also conducted research in dementia and executive function. His passion for cognitive health brought him to the Tiempo Juntos team, where he is excited to be working with the community to prevent cognitive decline. In his free time, he likes to exercise, cook new recipes, and travel to new places.

 

Community health promoters:

Ruby Rivera – Community Health Promoter

Ruby Rivera from Colombia is a community health promoter for Tiempo Juntos. In Colombia, she received a technical degree in commercial secretarial studies. She worked as an instructor of commercial writing, typing, sternography, and grammar. Here she has had the opportunity to do a variety of courses as a promoter of health, and was called to work with older adults for whom she has great respect. She is very proud and happy to embark on this new program and hopes to be able to continue collaborating with projects oriented towards the Hispanic community.

 Elizabeth Alvarado – Community Health Promoter 

Elizabeth Alvarado (Lizzy) is originally from Puerto Rico. She’s been working for a non profit for the last 15 years serving the community with social work services. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Ashford University in Business and Administration. She recently took over the role as a Resident Service Coordinator, working with the elder and she’s excited to embark on this new journey and hope to become resourceful to the community of elder folks. She enjoys baking and going on walks.

 

 

Nancy Rodriguez – Community Health Promoter

Nancy Rodrigues is Mexican and is currently a senior social work student at La Salle University. She has been completing her field work at Taller Puertorriqueño and ever since has been working with the older adults. Nancy hoped to be a great support to the community and to gain insight on other ways she could support the community. 

 

 

 

 

Erikka Goslin – Community Health Promoter
(MSS, LSW she/her/ella): With a background in Cultural Anthropology and Social Work, Erikka is dedicated to being an agent for social change to dismantle white supremacy, patriarchy, and imperialism in all forms. Her experience ranges from working in person-centered dementia care to conducting therapy focused on serving BIPOC, non-binary and trans clients.

Amarili Lopez – Community Health Promotor

Amarillo is originally from Puerto Rico. She has been working as a health educator with medical plans for 9 years. Previously, she was working as a health promoter since 2004 with a non-profit organization. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health administration and focused on training in diabetes and chronic disease prevention to better help her community. Amarili is ready to undertake this new stage of opportunities to continue helping her community. Amarillo also loves exercising, dancing and learning new things. 

 

Dora Viacava, a native of Lima, Peru, where she studied Business Administration at the Catholic University. Working in Peru and Venezuela for a few years, ultimately settling in Philadelphia, USA in 1988. For 35 years, she served as Outreach Director at Taller Puertorriqueno, where she oversaw the implementation of an Art Program at Philadelphia Schools (k to High School) and Senior Centers. Dora also was a founding member of the successful Naylamp Street and Puppet Theater from 2003 to 2008. Under her leadership, the organization received two awards at the Puerto Rican Parade in Philadelphia. She was a member of the Latino Golden Age Committee that was established in 2003, until her retirement in July 2022. She had the opportunity to contribute to the Tiempo Juntos por Nuestra Salud initiative, which she found to be a highly rewarding experience.

 

 

Community Advisory Board:

Teresa Elliott – Community Advisory Board 

Teresa Elliot has over 25 years of experience working with Latino populations in the U.S. and Latin America. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Middlebury College and M.A in Public Administration from New Yok University. Teresa is passionate about advocating for social justice, building cultural connections, and bringing generations together. Her Cuban roots led her to make deep connections with the Latino community in North Philadelphia through her work as a hopsice volunteer and as Director of the Aging at Home initiative at Congreso de Latinos Unidos. In her spare time, Teresa enjoys cooking, theater, walking and trails and parks of Philadelphia, and above all, friends and family. Teresa is thrilled to join the Tiempo Juntos team and feels privileged to be working with the Norris Square community. 

Esperanza Lopez – Community Advisory Board